From top: Take your choice between places like Periyar in Kerala, Goa or even, for that matter, Phuket or Maldives when you plan your rainy day vacation

Much as you enjoy the romance of the rains, have you ever thought of taking a holiday even as it comes pelting down? Well, if you want to escape the mud and slush of the city (and without spending too much) here’s your chance. Monsoon tourism — typically between now and September — has kicked off and it’s time to sift your options.

Take a holiday now and you can be sure that you’ll be checking into hotels that are unaffordable at peak tourist season. Hotel rates are slashed by some 40 per cent (or are at least negotiable) and sometimes airlines pitch in with some throwaway fares. Karan Anand, head, business development, Cox & Kings India, says: “Monsoon packages are very popular among single people and couples because not only do they come cheap but also assure a less crowded destination.’’

Sunil Gupta, COO Kuoni Holidays and SOTC, feels that going on a holiday is no longer restricted to any particular season. “In the monsoons travellers are now looking for beach and islands holidays with loads of water sports thrown in.”

Topping the list of monsoon destinations are Goa, with its countless beaches, and Kerala with its backwaters. Ooty’s hills that are washed by heavy rains and Nainital with its dense pine forests are also hot destinations this season. Care to go further? How about Maldives or Langkawi for some ultra-cheap duty free shopping? Even Phuket with its soft white beaches may take your fancy.

So just get set with wash-and-wear clothes, swimsuits, flip-flops, board games, books to read, umbrellas and raincoats to soak up the season. Chasing the monsoons is sure to be fun and rest assured, the rains won’t play spoilsport.

Kerala

The state’s tourism board has been working over the last couple of year on its ‘monsoon campaign’ to ensure that the state draws tourists even in the traditional off-season. And their efforts have been rewarded as monsoon packages are hotsellers. A monsoon package in Kerala usually builds in multiple cities and towns that are rain lashed, so you’ll need to spare at least a week. Your options go from staying at a backwater resort or houseboats that float on the backwaters.

When in Kerala, can Ayurvedic treatments be too far away from where you are? Not really, and you can actually take off for a purely Ayurvedic vacation that’s sure to energise your body, soul and mind. Not too many people have woken up to the fact that Ayurvedic therapies work best in this season. Consider SOTC’s Ayurveda Tour of the South for 10 nights and 11 days which costs Rs 27,500 per person. It will throw in herbal massages, steam baths and yoga.

Cox & Kings also has a complete Kerala package on offer for Rs 18,968 per person for a 5-night and 6-day stay that includes return airfare, meals, 3-star accommodation, sightseeing as per itinerary (in Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady and Kumarakom) and more.

In Kerala the other places worth stopping at are Munnar, the British summer resort, and Kumarakom where you can stay at its lakeside cottages and watch the monsoon showers lash against Vembanad Lake. You could also book yourself at the five-star Trident hotel in Cochin for a reasonable Rs 9,600 (which includes accommodation for two persons for two nights and breakfast). An additional room for up to two children (below 12 years) can be booked free.

Goa

Goa at carnival time is perhaps just as popular as Goa during the monsoons. When it rains in Goa, it really does pour, but the spurts of rain are followed by bursts of sunshine — and that’s when you can venture out.

At this time of year Goa’s beaches, its lush landscape and reasonable hotel tariffs (and amazing seafood) make for an irresistible cocktail. Though you can’t swim in the sea during the monsoons, you can take a long walks on its beaches (but alas the beach shacks serving some delectable fare will be closed). Also just hire a motorbike and zip down Goa’s rain washed roads. Or better still go crab hunting and fishing along the rivers.

Goa is buzzing with packages at the moment. STIC Travels offers packages costing between Rs 6,000 (for a 3-star hotel) and Rs 21,000 per couple (in a 5 star hotel) for a 3-night and 4-day stay. The cost is exclusive of airfare but includes sightseeing, breakfast and dinner. Cox & King’s Goa package for 4 nights and 5 days could be yours for Rs 8,100 per person. It includes return airfare, meals, 3-star accommodation and sightseeing.

At Taj’s Fort Aguada Beach Resort, a 3-night deal on double occupancy costs between Rs 24,000 and Rs 38,000 (depending on the room you opt for). The package includes accommodation, buffet breakfast and is valid till September 30. And of course there’s The Leela’s Monsoon Escape package which will work out between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,500 (for bed and breakfast) for a couple per day. This one is valid till October 15.

From top: It’s just a question of braving the clouds whether it’s boating in Kerala, taking a toy train ride up the Nilgiris or gazing at the marine life in Langkawi

OOTY

A word of warning — yes, Ooty will be wet and it will be cold, so carry the woollies. This little town set on the stepped slopes of the Nilgiri Hills offers a mix of tea garden tourism and some exciting forest walks besides the touristy horse riding or boating at Ooty Lake.

There are a good number of offers to sift through. Monsoon packages from STIC range between an affordable Rs 6,666 (for a 3-star hotel) and Rs 18,000 (for a 5-star stay) per couple for 3 nights and 4 days. This includes sightseeing and transfers but not the airfare. Till September 30 the Taj’s Savoy Hotel, Ooty, is offering a 2 night package for a couple beginning at Rs 14,000 while Cox & Kings’ 2 nights and 3 days package at Hotel Sullivan Court/Holiday Inn is tagged at Rs 5,150 per person on twin sharing basis.

In Ooty go shopping for cotton embroidered Toda shawls, Nilgiri specialities like eucalyptus oil, spices, tea and bakery-made chocolates.

LONAVaLA

But if you’d rather explore the beauty of the rain-drenched Western Ghats, head for Lonavala on the Mumbai-Pune highway. While torrential rains often bring Mumbai to a grinding stop, Lonavala is not afflicted by the hassles of a rain-deluged metropolis.

Once you have made it to Mumbai just book yourself a getaway. Thomas Cook’s 2 nights and 3 days package (you travel from Mumbai by car) for Rs 8,349 onwards on a per person basis includes stay at a three-star hotel, breakfast and dinner.

And if you thought that there is not much that you can do in this picnicker’s paradise, think again. Check out Manashakti, a health resort and the Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institution. And yes, don’t come back from Lonavala without its famed customary chikkis (nut encrusted bars), walnuts, chocolate fudge and coconut barfi.

Kodaikanal

If you are a tea connoisseur and like to visit some tea gardens head straight for Kodaikanal. You’ll probably step out for brisk walks in the hills (so do remember to pack sturdy walking shoes and insect repellant), and when you are done with tea gardens you may as well go paddle-boating at Kodaikanal’s starfish-shaped lake.

Packages — like those from STIC Travels — for 3 nights and 4 days for a couple start at Rs 6,666 for a three-star hotel and touch Rs 17,500 for a five-star accommodation. Packages usually include breakfast and dinner but exclude air and train fares.

sikkim

Closer home Sikkim beckons as the southwest monsoon hits it between May and early October. At this time all its attractions are swathed in mist, clouds and rain offering even prettier vision of its mountain monasteries and exotic flora and fauna. A 2 nights and 3 days package from STIC — that includes breakfast and transfers, but not air or train fares — will set you back by Rs 5,800 per couple in a 3-star hotel while it will cost Rs 16,000 per couple in a 5-star hotel.

If you check in at one of Gangtok’s numerous hotels you could visit the famous Rumtek Monastery, Chhango Lake (at 12,400ft) as well as the Kupup region, that’s home to the world’s second highest golf course.

nainital

This hill resort receives heavy monsoon showers between July-September — and becomes even more romantic. For an elaborate trip, you could try Thomas Cook’s Uttaranchal package of 6 nights and 7days at Rs 17,750 per person on twin sharing basis. The package includes 3 nights accommodation at Chevron Fairhaven Hotel in Nainital, a night at Chevron Rosemount in Ranikhet and two nights at Fort Resort in Mussoorie.

It also includes breakfast, transfers and sightseeing in a Qualis. STIC meanwhile has a 3-night and 4-day deal between Rs 5,000 (in a 3-star hotel) and Rs 20,000 per couple (in 5-star accommodation). All breakfasts and transfers are included but not the airfares or train fares.

MALDIVES

In the Maldives you’ll catch the southwest monsoons between May and November, but the rain comes and goes. So all you have got to do is check into one of its numerous resorts and pamper yourself silly with its world class spas, jive at its night clubs or sample its cuisine.

The Taj Exotica Resort & Spa is offering 3 nights on double occupancy in a Lagoon Villa at about Rs 81,500 till September 30. The cost includes airport transfers, breakfast and taxes. If this is a bit much for your pocket then check out the packages from STIC Travels where 3-night and 4-day packages start at Rs 24,837 in a 3-star hotel and go up to about Rs 44,400 in a five-star hotel for a couple. The cost includes breakfast and transfers but excludes airfares.

PHUKET

This island destination in Thailand gets its share of short and heavy showers between May and October. But you could still walk its powdery white beaches and watch the monsoon winds whip the warm Andaman Sea. After a stopover in Bangkok (for shopping and more) head straight to Phuket.

Cox & Kings’ Bangkok & Phuket Flexi Deal will cost you Rs 31,150 per person for a 5 nights and 6 days stay. This packs in return airfare (Mumbai-Bangkok-Mumbai on Cathay Pacific and Bangkok-Phuket-Bangkok on Thai Airways), 3-star accommodation with breakfast, airport transfers and sightseeing.

STIC Travels offers packages that take couples for 3 nights and 4 days to Bangkok and Phuket at a throwaway Rs 6,905 (with stay at a 2-star hotel) or at Rs 30,351 for a 5-star hotel. The package includes breakfast and transfers but not airfares. Kuoni Holidays has a 2 nights and 3 days package on offer priced at Rs 4,368 per person on twin sharing basis including bed and breakfast, return airport transfers and 4-star accommodation.

langkawi

This tropical island getaway makes it easily to monsoon wishlists. Brief showers in Langkawi are a given throughout the year but the rains in their true form come only in August and September. In these months you’ll get to enjoy the island at its quietest best, but its beaches, mountains, mangrove forests, duty-free shopping and historical sites remain just as exciting. You could stay in a 5-star resort on Datai Bay, a secluded cove which also offers a golf course in the heart of the jungle.

Packages from Kuoni Holidays for 2 nights and 3 days come at a cool Rs 7,266 per person on twin sharing basis. This throws in accommodation at a 5-star hotel, breakfast, airport transfers and a half-day Langkawi island tour. From STIC, a 3 nights and 4 days package to Langkawi for a couple works out to about Rs 10,279 in a 3-star hotel while a 5-star stay will cost Rs 39,060. This includes breakfast and transfers (but not airfare).